The End Is Only the Beginning
by Morganvil225
Summary: Summary: Before the end of their final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, James Potter and Lily Evans find dark and difficult times await them as the war against the Dark Lord Voldemort intensifies. Will their love survive all that is to come? Only time will tell... (Pairings: James/Lily, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Remus/Tonks) Rating may change in future chapters!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:****In honor of our favorite Boy-Who-Lived and the incredibly wonderful J.K. Rowling celebrating birthdays today, here is my first Harry Potter fic since my one-shot "James Sirius Potter"!**

**_Summary:_ _Before the end of their final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, James Potter and Lily Evans find dark and difficult times await them as the war against the Dark Lord Voldemort intensifies. Will their love survive all that is to come? Only time will tell..._**

_**(Pairings: James/Lily, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Remus/Tonks)**_

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Chapter 1:

The End Is Only the Beginning

As Seventh Year- and Head Girl- Lily Evans made her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast one morning in late April, she couldn't ignore the feeling of dread settling in her stomach. She had a feeling something was wrong, but couldn't figure out what or why. As she headed toward her seat at the Gryffindor table, Lily giggled at her boyfriend- and Head Boy- James Potter, who had a smudge of jelly on his cheek, clearly from a piece of toast.

James looked up, half-smiling at Lily, as she giggled. "What's so funny Lily-flower?" He asked. Instead of answering, Lily picked up James's napkin and wiped his cheek. "How is it you get so messy when you're eating toast," she teased, "you're like a four-year-old when it comes to food." James laughed and glanced at the members of his gang- the Marauders. "Padfoot's worse than me, though." He laughed at the look on Sirius' face. "Sorry, Padfoot," he said, still laughing, "but it's true." Sirius looked at Remus and Peter, the other Marauders, and just shrugged, going back to shoveling food into his mouth.

"Whoa, Sirius!" Lily exclaimed. "What?" Sirius looked up at Lily, mouth filled with food. Lily shook her head, "Don't put so much in your mouth at once or you'll choke." She said. Sirius swallowed the dog-sized bite of food and threw his head back in a bark of laughter. "It'll take more than stuffing my face to kill me, Evans. Quit sounding like a mother hen." Lily blushed at the comment and finished eating.

**LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJ**

"So, Lily," James said, looking down at Lily as she lay in his arms later that morning. The couple was enjoying some time to themselves by sitting under the maple tree near the Black Lake, watching the giant squid's tentacles lazily poke out of the water. Lily turned her head to look up at James, "Yes?" James smirked and kissed the tip of Lily's slightly up-turned nose, silently counting the freckles sprinkled across it as he continued, "What are you planning to do after we graduate?" Lily looked out at the Black Lake, thinking. "Well," she replied after a few minutes' silence, "I've always wanted to be a Healer at St. Mungos. I'd love to help people who need the care, and that includes you, Mr-Soon-to-Be-an-Auror Potter."

James snorted and tickled Lily's side, causing the feisty redhead to laugh uncontrollably, as the sun sank lower over Hogwarts.

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_**A/N: There's the first chapter! Sorry if it's kind of short. I ran out of ideas. Lol.**_

_**Read and review and I'll post a second chapter!**_

_**-Morgan**_


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Happy new year everyone. I hope your Christmas and New Years celebrations were fun. I got a pottery wheel and refills of clay, plus extra paint, and a sketch book! But I haven't made anything with the pottery wheel yet.

PS: The names of James and Lily's parents, I'm borrowing from LadyoftheLake's story 'The Legacy of Two Generations.' I think I've read that one more than any other. Lol.

Anyway, here's chapter 2!

End of Chapter 1:

_James snorted and tickled Lily's side, causing the feisty redhead to laugh uncontrollably, as the sun sank lower over Hogwarts._

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Chapter 2:

As the weeks flew by, the Seventh Years were growing increasingly anxious and excited as their N.E. started to come to an end. Potions was their final exam.

"Relax, Lily," James told the worried young woman one afternoon as they studied for their Potions exam that was to take place the next morning, "You worry too much, love." Lily looked up at him, startled. "'Relax'?" She said. "'Relax'?! You _do_ realize I need to pass this exam to get into the Healer program at St. Mungo's, _right_?! If I want to be a Healer, I need to be able to craft potions to help people who are in pain or injured. Maybe even _both_!" James backed away a bit, guilt showing on his face. "I'm sorry, Lils," he said, "I didn't mean to piss you off Ow!" James winced as Lily smacked him in the back of the head for swearing as the couple went back to studying.

**LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJ**

The next afternoon, when Professor Slughorn, Potions master and Head of Slytherin House, told the students to step away from their cauldrons at the end of the exam, Sirius let out a 'WHOOP!' of excitement and let off a Filibuster No-Heat-Wet-Start Firework in celebration. Lily rolled her eyes and James laughed, raising his hand to slap it against Sirius's. "We're finally free at last!" Sirius exclaimed. Remus chuckled and shook his head, "You sound like a House-Elf, Padfoot," he said. Sirius looked at his friend and hunched over saying in a deep tone, "Yes, Master. Sorry, Master." That got the whole class laughing again as they left the dungeons for the sprawling, beautifully manicured lush green grass and some well-deserved fresh air.

"So, Sirius," Lily said as the group made their way down to the lake that afternoon, "how's your cousin's baby girl?" "She's three now," Remus said, "right? What was her name again?" Sirius played with a bit of grass before answering. "They're all fine," he said, "Her name's Nymphadora Madeline and yes, Moony, she's three. Not sure what Andromeda was thinking, giving the kid a silly name like that." James shook his head, laughing a little. "It must run in her family, having a strange name," he joked. Sirius mock-glared at his 'adoptive brother', but joined in the laughter as well.

**LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJ**

As the days flew by, the Seventh Years were getting ready for one last ceremony at Hogwarts: Graduation. It was also a bitter-sweet and sad moment for Lily and James. Lily's parents, Edward and Rose Evans, had been killed by Death Eaters shortly before her 18th birthday and James' parents, Alistair and Susan Potter, were personally murdered by the Dark Lord Voldemort three days before the start of the Easter holidays.

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_**A/N: Stuck on how to go with the graduation, so I'm gonna end the chapter here. This is also the longest chapter I've written so far! Hope you like it, or at least read/review.**_

_**-Morgan**_


End file.
